"In March, CSG Justice Center staff continued to socialize the guidelines and engage key partners in the field, provide technical assistance (TA) to selected states, distribute materials for outreach strategies related to language for TA opportunities, and further identify project next steps. Throughout the month, the team worked on opportunities to advance communication of the project and outreach to provide TA.    The project team also submitted the updated marketing materials to BJA and received approval to commence the marketing strategy. The project also shared additional clarification for the BJA Communications team, who applied updates to the BJA website.   The project team was able to finalize and distribute the informational one-pager about the TA opportunities available and updates to the Take Action webpage to inform audiences about opportunities for requesting technical assistance, other ways they can take action on this project, and how to stay in touch. The project team shared promotional toolkits with BJA and partners for marketing the TA opportunities. The project team also tried to set up calls to meet with additional organizations to build partnerships for disseminating these materials to their audiences. During this month, two new partnerships were created with the National Association of Probation Executives (NAPE) and the Community Supervision Resource Center (CSRC), managed by the Center for Effective Public Policy (CEPP).  As part of the TA being provided through this project, the project team hosted the first virtual peer meeting focused on various topics, bringing together all active TA state teams. The meeting commenced with a comprehensive project overview while also detailing aspects relevant to each TA site. A significant portion of the session was dedicated to collaborative discussions centered on three key areas: (1) prioritized guidelines in the TA process and the status of TA initiatives, (2) addressing encountered TA challenges and strategies for overcoming them, and (3) identifying future discussion topics for upcoming peer meetings. Valuable insights and feedback were exchanged among the project team and representatives from each TA site. Planning for the next virtual peer meeting, scheduled for late May, is underway.   In March, CSG Justice Center staff held a call with the senior policy advisor at BJA to discuss updates about each TA state, strategy for the dissemination of marketing materials, upcoming items for BJA review, BJA feedback and ideas for moving forward, and the feedback received for the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) winter institute presentation. BJA has also requested an update on the New Jersey TA teamâs status, since they have encountered numerous delays in the past months.  The project team submitted workshop proposal materials, which include progress updates for the project and TA states, for the June 2024 APPA Annual Conference in Indianapolis, IN, and received approval from BJA.   The International Community Justice Association (ICJA) runs the Journal of Community Justice, a quarterly publication focused on policy, research, and community-based programs. ICJA invited the project team to write a journal article about the national guidelines, based on a presentation they attended about the project. The project team submitted the first draft of the ICJA article for BJA review, received feedback for review, applied edits, and received final approval from BJA. It is now with their Communications team for review.  The project team submitted workshop proposal materials and obtained BJA approval for the August 2024 American Correctional Association (ACA) 154th Congress of Correction Conference in Nashville, TN. The presentation would include a member of the Minnesota TA team to highlight the work being completed in their state through the project TA.   In March, CSG Justice Center staff accepted an invitation from National Association of Probation Executives (NAPE) to provide a virtual presentation to interested members, outlining the National Risk and Needs Guidelines project and the associated benefits of TA in adopting the 13 national guidelines while supporting the overarching mission of improving evidence-based practices. The presentation is set to occur on May 2, 2024. The presentation was submitted and approved by BJA on March 11, 2024.  Technical Assistance (TA) States: Massachusetts Probation Service (MPS) In March, the project team met with the deputy commissioner of programs to establish a schedule and discuss objectives for upcoming focus groups. The focus group meetings will include line-level probation officers from six randomly selected and diverse regions within the state. The project team plans to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the ORAS tool and the challenges associated with administering the tool and implementing the results through case planning.  The project team and additional CSG Justice Center staff met with the deputy commissioner of programs to discuss the rapid response toward violent crime in MA.   On March 11, the project team was informed that the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the re-validation of the ORAS was approved and now live for bidding through COMMBUYS operational services division. This completion achieved the first major goal brought forth by MPS for the TA process. Members of MPS attended the virtual peer event, hosted by the project team, and collaborated and provided valuable insight on three key areas: (1) prioritized guidelines in the TA process and the status of TA initiatives, (2) addressing encountered TA challenges and strategies for overcoming them, and (3) identifying future discussion topics for upcoming peer meetings.   The project team conducted virtual focus groups with line-level probation officers representing the Boston Municipal and Quincy District court jurisdictions and Western MA regions. The project team and MPS representatives extensively discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the ORAS tool, along with the challenges associated with administering the assessment and implementing the results through case planning. The next focus group meeting has been scheduled and planned for April 3 to include line-level probation officers from the Fitchburg District Court jurisdiction. The project team plans to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the ORAS tool, along with the challenges associated with administering the assessment and implementing the results through case planning. The project team is actively working with MPS to schedule the remaining focus group meetings in April with the other 3 jurisdictions, including line-level probation officers and a discussion centered on the strengths and weaknesses of the ORAS tool, along with the challenges associated with administering the assessment and implementing the results through case planning.  Due to scheduling difficulties, the project team continues to work with MPS to solidify the next working group meeting. The next meetings will likely take place at the end of April or in May.   Minnesota Department of Corrections (MN DOC), Minnesota Association of Community Corrections Act Counties (MACCAC), and Minnesota Association of County Probation Officers (MACPO)  On March 8, CSG Justice Center staff attended the Learn@WorkLive: How 6 Minnesota Agencies Worked to Get Unstuck, Together webinar hosted by the Alliance for Community and Justice (ACJI). The webinar featured ACJIâs director and key leaders from Minnesota's correctional landscape, including MN DOC, Scott County Community Corrections, and Ramsey County Community Corrections. The discussion centered on the challenge of sustaining change efforts over time, with many initiatives fizzling out or being shelved for future attempts. However, the speakers emphasized the importance of integrating implementation science into every stage of the process to ensure that change is both manageable and sustainable. Additionally, they highlighted the creation of a multi-agency implementation-focused community of practice, which allowed them to introduce implementation science concepts to 70 staff members across 6 different agencies, further amplifying their impact.  On March 13, members of MN DOC, MACCAC, and MACPO attended the virtual peer event hosted by the project team. Participants were able to collaborate and provide valuable insight on three key areas: (1) prioritized guidelines in the TA process and the status of TA initiatives, (2) addressing encountered TA challenges and strategies for overcoming them, and (3) identifying future discussion topics for upcoming peer meetings. On March 25, CSG Justice Center staff conducted the monthly working group meeting with representatives from MN DOC, MACCAC, and MACPO. The meeting commenced with a review of progress on various guidelines, beginning with guideline 5, which examines the results of the Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI) assessment tool for predictive bias and disparate impact across groups. It was noted that implementation is stalled due to the absence of the Request for Proposal (RFP). Guideline 6, involving the application of assessment results in case planning, was deemed partially implemented due to ongoing efforts despite lacking statewide consistency. Similarly, guideline 7, adopt agency-wide strategies to minimize the potential that the local implementation of post-conviction risk and needs assessment instruments promotes disparities, remains in the planning stage pending RFP finalization. Guideline 9, focusing on policy development for assessment use, will be worked on concurrently with strategy discussions, prioritizing action over assessment validation. A discussion followed on separating commentary from applications to ensure accurate representation of progress and challenges. Plans were made to draft a review document for further feedback and eventual submission. Subsequently, updates on subaward requests and RFP finalization were shared, indicating progress in validation work and phase 2 related to Justice Reinvestment. The timeline for RFP responses review and scoring was outlined, followed by a discussion on the CSG Justice Center senior policy advisorâs involvement in the process. Future meetings and travel plans were discussed, along with insights from the MN DOC Tribal Liaison regarding Februaryâs first quarterly Minnesota Indian Affairs Council meeting and coordination with other committees. The next working group meeting is scheduled for April 26.   New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJ DOC)The TA team provided updates to the director of the Office of Compliance and Strategic Planning and the assistant commissioner of Womenâs Services at NJ DOC regarding next steps for hiring staff to conduct the assessments, having a technology platform to collect the assessment results, and upcoming meetings. Due to the process in NJ, the Human Resources team must find a suitable title for the hires and develop matching job descriptions. Additionally, all titles must be approved by one person in the Governorâs Office.  CSG Justice Center staff also met with the research partner for NJ DOC to discuss general updates for the TA state team and any next steps regarding the validation and training strategy. Members of NJ DOC attended the virtual peer event hosted by the project team. Participants were able to collaborate and provide valuable insight on three key areas: (1) prioritized guidelines in the TA process and the status of TA initiatives, (2) addressing encountered TA challenges and strategies for overcoming them, (3) identifying future discussion topics for upcoming peer meetings.  On March 22, CSG Justice Center staff reached out to the NJ TA team to request updates, as requested by BJA to be shared by April 1. On March 28, the project team followed up on the original email to request updates. The person who could provide the updates was out of the office, hence the delay. The BJA team was informed that additional outreach will occur the first week in April to request updates."
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